Born in upstate New York, Michael Civisca continues to call that region of the Empire State both his home and the hub for his performances. His full-ranged baritone allows him to apply finesse and restraint that match the mood, tone, and tempo of each piece he delivers, whether he is fronting small ensembles or large orchestras. Four albums document his work in both formats, among them Live with the Trio and the 2002 release Love Is...Like a Breeze. On these and especially on A Collection of Great Standards, he demonstrates equal comfort with the most enduring numbers in the American Popular Songbook as well as with contemporary and classic pop songs. Civisca entered the profession in 1995, the decision sparked years earlier when, as a youngster, he took up the trumpet and played along with recordings by Herb Alpert, Chuck Mangione, and Louis Armstrong. Armstrong’s vocal style ultimately proved more decisive than his trumpet playing, prompting Civisca to commit to memory the lyrics of hundreds of songs heard on those same records. Additional guidance came from vocalists spanning Dinah Shore to Ella Fitzgerald. Later, Ray Charles, Billy Joel, and Sting supplied further models for phrasing and lyric interpretation that helped broaden his own approach. Traces of Billy Joel appear alongside Frank Sinatra and a measure of Bobby Darin’s hip delivery in Civisca’s singing. Beyond leading his own projects and performing at supper clubs and jazz spots throughout Buffalo and surrounding upstate New York towns, he contributed to the soundtrack of the 1999 Mel Gibson film Payback, appeared in concert specials on PPBS, and performed in the Las Vegas production of The Rat Pack is Back. Operating his own Neptune Music production company, he has navigated the challenges many peers face in securing deals with major independent labels. Away from these activities, Civisca listens to an eclectic range of vocalists that includes Sinatra, Diana Krall, Aerosmith, and Sting.
